Device for cleaning pipe-lines.



H. A. GREENAN.

DEVICE FOR GLEANIIIG. PIPE LINES.

APPLICATION FIL'ED D160. 14, 1906.

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

3 /NVENTOR Ifugh A. Greenmv ATTORNEY Illll Illll rinrr'nn STATES PATENT. r m on;

HUGH A. GREENAN, on NEW roan, N. y issre uon TO NATIONAL WATER MAIN CLEANING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N; Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE. Y

To all-whom it may concern: I I Be it known that I, HUGH A. GnEENANfa citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of NewYork, county of New York, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Cleaning Pipe-Lines, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to means for facilitating the introduction of cleaning devices into water pipes and mains to be cleaned and the removal of such cleaning devices, and means for making a water main, while being cleaned, immediately available for use as a water supply in case of an emergency, such as a confiagration, without the removal of the cleaning device therefrom, all as set forth in the specification and the claims and illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view'of an opening for the insertion of a cleaning device. a longitudinal section of a pipe, showing the point Where the opening is made. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, showin a Y branch pipe attached to the opening, t rough which the cleaning-device is inserted. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a main showing the extreme points of the main to be cleaned with the devices located at these points. Fi 5 is a detail view of a valve used in an out et gate.

The device consists of a pipe section having an oval shaped openin 6, with a flan e 7, the latter provided wit the necessary oles to bolt thereon a lid 8 and also T-shaped grooves 9 to receive similarly sha ed ends of stems 10 at the end of an elliptical perforated plate or diaphragm 11, which is'adapted'to fit across the pipe at the openingI 6, in the manner showninthe drawings. T e perforations 12 of the plate 11 are adapted to allow a certain volume of water to pass through the main, in which such a plate is placed. a

At the top of the opening 6 is attached a Y branch pipe, 14, by means of a flange 15 and bolts 16 which same bolts may also. be used to secure'the lid 8, a gasket 17 being used in both instances at this oint.

By reference to Fig. 3 it wi 1 be seen that the Y pipe 14 forms an opening with an inclination to the main, and through the same is introduced the cleaning device 18 attached to a cable 19,. shown in Fig.

When the said cleaner 18 has been placed in the p pe a cap 20 is placed upon the top of the Y pipe 14.

Specification of Letters Patent; Application ma December 14,1906. serial In). 347,907: Z

with a small cut or indentation.Qejiiiis bottomof the mainl without;

Fig. 2 is Patented March Q, 1909?- 1 i=- At the end of the portionlfof the mair pipe to'be. cleaned in one operation'is a similar opening 2 1', .to which is securedalXpipe ZZ, carrying at itsouter end .a gate-Tva A will be seen in Fig. 5.; This is, f1v

lower edge, which permits of the closing 0t the valvein the presence ofacable leakage. .i

The device is'used as follows le branch pipes are attached attheterminals 6th,,

the section'to be cleaned, theoleaning, deyice is then, introduced at one terminal after which the cap 20 is applied to the Y pipe at this terminal. The gate valve 23 is applied to the va pi e at the other terminal. The cable is pu ed through the opening of the valve. in case a supply of water should be needed, all that is necessary is to close the gate valve and turn on the water in case it should not already have been turned on. In case a pipe of large size, such as a 12 inch pipe, is to be cleaned, an automatic cleaning device is preferably used, in which case the cable is dispensed with. In the preliminary work of introducing the cable by means of an automatic device, the valve gate is placed at the forward terminal of the section to be cleaned and the cap at the rear end. The lates or diaphragms, 11, have relatively arge perforations so as to allow a sufficient amount of water to pass through the main or pipe while they rest therein. On account of their oblique position these diaphragms make the introduction and the removal of the cleaning device expeditious and easy. In case the cleaning is to be effected by means of an automatic cleaning device the forward opening in the section to be cleaned may, if desired, be permanently closed before the propulsion of the device is commenced, in Which case the Y branch pipe is neededonly at the rear end of the section to be cleaned.

If the perforations in the diaphragm or 100 cross plate 11 should be omitted it would still be available for the purpose of facilitat ing the introduction and removal of a cleaning device into and from a pipe, although in such a case the flow of water through the pipe 05 would be much impeded.

It is of course understood that the presence of any cleaning device in a water pipe materially impedes the flow of water therethrough, but by using the device shown a suiiicientlip amount of Water will ass around and through the device to. ma the pipe useful as asource of Water supply. v

.While the invention is described with ref- .erence to cleaning Water pipes I do not limit myself thereto.

' the combinationeof a While v the plates 11 are very effective as guides for the cleaning device, their omission will not prevent the use of the Y branches in the introduction and removal' of cleaning de-j into-and from Water pipes, but such use isnerther as easy nor as expeditious as when plates are used.

What I claim as new is: 1. In a, device of the character described adapted to be attache thereto anda periorated. plate adapted. to pass obliquely across the former ipe. f

.2. Ina evice of the character described the combination of a pipe, a Y branch pipe adapted 'to'be attachedthereto, a valve on the branch pipe and a plate adapted to pass obllquely across the former pipet In a device of the character described the combination of a section of a'water main,.

i'pe, a Y branch pipe Y branch pipes at each end of the section and two plates passing obliquely across the main at each end of the section and so arranged that their lower edges are turned toward a each other.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a section of a Water main,

Y branch pipes at each end of the section,

plates passing obliquely across the main at each end of the section thereof, a cap adapted'tocover one Y branch pipe and axvalve placed at the end of the other branch pipe.

5. Ina device of the character described, a the combination of a section of a Water main,

Y branch pipes at each end of the section, a

plate passing across the main at one end of HUGH YA. GREENAN.

' Witnesses:

C. A. 0. Roman, SOPHIA N. GEBHARDT. 

